Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1887-10-26
SUFFERERS SCHOOL
How the Habit OF Stammer.ng {
often Acquired.

How the Habit OF Stammer.ng n
often Acquired.
"Young man, how did you acquire
the habit of stuttering?" 81 u-u.u used
to m-m-mock a man. When he d-d-
died l took his place" The question
was by a professor of a vocal institute.
and the answer by a young man who
had just announced his intention OF
taking a series of lessons. A reporter
was present, and sitting around the
room were several intelligent looking
young men, the most of whom could
speak as fuently as any one. All de-
clared that they had until recently
been most inveterate Sufferers OF
stammerers. The doctors question sug.
gested an interesting train of thought
The reporter put the same question 10
each of the patients in turn. when
was about 6 years of age" said num-
Der one, Il commenced to stutter lit
tie. Tnen We moved 10 strange place
and 1 went to school. l was very diff
dent. and the teacher attempted tc
force me TO read and recIte. The
scholars laughed at me, became more
diffident, and soon the habit was ixeC
on me"
81 am his brother,'' said number
two. II learned 1t of him.
when | was young" said number
three, 81 used to play all the time with
another boy who was a horrible slut
terer, and learned it of him, When.
ever L was out with the boys and
didn't think of it l would sometimes
find myself talking all right, but a.
soon as l thought about it [ woulu
RnTtoYf IL
gtterward learned it of me''
Number four said he learned the
habit from another boy, but woulL
have conquered it had not his teacher
forced hum to read and recite, at which
times he became so nervous as to lose
all control of himself. All had &C
quired the habit at the age of or Z.
OF A NERVOUS NATURE.
'"That accords with the most of my
exper ,ence," said the doctor, ''these
lmpediments o. speech are for the
most part of a nervous nature. Lack
of will power, the telegraphic system
of the body out Of order, imperfect
connection between the brain and mus.
cleS of speech. All this trouble some
times arises from sudden fright. One
patient of mine, young lady, wa
slightly seized with stammering at the
time of the great fire. Afteward she
SAW a COW catch little girl on its
horns. She was paralyzed wlta fright.
unable TO scream or move. The ami
NAL tossed the child into the air. She
rushed to the spot and the child was
fatally injured. After that the lady
was bad case of confirmed stammer.
ing.
lone OF the worst cases 7 ever had
| WAS that of young man. When ht
was boy of or 7 years of age his
| father threatened, if he committed q
| certain offense, 10 throw him into the
well. The boy committed the offense,
and bis father held him for a momen.
over the well head DOWN. ward. From
that time on the boy could not tax
| plainly. Many children acquire this
malady in infancy, Just as they are be
ginning to talk. Their parents or nur-
ses tickle them, sometimes on the bot
toms of the feet, thinking the loud
laughter thus excited amusing. The
papa which the little ones cry out at
such times IS the first inception OF the
habit of suffering.
The doctor Is "a jolly fellow, of fine
physique and great personal magnet
ism, with the voice and laugh OF a hon;
| if lion can be imagined as laughing.
In training his class b. commences, in
the most natural way in the world, to
talk of all sorts of interesting subjects,
and soon an infection of good feeling
| selZeS all present. He roarS out his
words with such force and fluency
| from the dephS of his immense lungs
that talking seems the easiest thing III
| the world. Occasionally, a remark Is
/
| III a conversational sort of way, and
before they know it everybody seems
to be able to talk. Occasionally he
] goes the rounds of the class with war;
/ GUS vocal exercises for the development
of certain muscles.
SOME OF THE EXERCISES.
Here are few of the exercises.
Some ministers and actors would dc
well to practice them;
! Amos Ames, the amiable aeronaut,
aided in aD aerial enterprise at the age
of 63.'
"Obtain all opportunities of obliter.
ating obnoxious ostentations."
Henry HIngham has hung his harp
on the hook where he hitherto hung his
| hopes.'' What a nut for Cockney to
| crack.
Il like white vinegar with veal very
well.''
''She sells sea shells. Shall he sell sea
shelspr
"Quixote Quixite qulzzed queerist
| quidoox. Where is the queerIsh quid'
box Quixote q Iixlte quizzed2"
When the pupils can recite these sen
! tence5 and a hundred or so similar
ones fuently they are graduated.
a clear cut, elegant and fluent utter.
ance Is one OF the greatest graces witt
which person can be gifted. 1t tell.
| almost the whole story of ones birth
early training and associations. The
| different kinds of faulty elocution are
! known as suffering, stammering, hes
! ltaucy, lisping, exhausted breath, nasa
sound and improper articulation. Many
| people fall under so complete a list as
| this, who IN some instances could i'm.
| prove their utterance by a little private
practice and attention to the matter
! A stutteTer has the most difficulty In
utterlng lingual sounds such as word:
beginning with L., while the stammerel
stumbleS over the labial sounds, oi
which words beginning with b are al
example. Both habits are accompan
led with facial distortion, and some
times with a writhing or twitching o.
the whole body. That these are nerv
GUS affections is shown by the device
Trsorted to to get over some difficult
! letter or sound, as swapping the fngel
or stamping the foot. II shut m-m
my isy tight" said a stammerer, SAND
the electricity runs up my arm and let.
the sound c-c-come out.n At the letIe
c he drove the finger nails clear int
the palm of his hands.
Nothing English About Him.